Man arrested after dumping body of woman in abandoned car

BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) - The East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office has made an arrest after a body was found dumped in an abandoned vehicle.

According to the arrest report, EBRSO homicide detectives were called out to Ford Street near Simplex Street on Friday, Jan. 11 after the body of a woman was found in a vehicle. During the investigation, it was found the suspect, identified as Robert Lowe, 54, had been with the victim at his home on Hooper Road on Jan. 8.

Officials believe the woman had injected herself with an unknown drug before having consensual sex with Lowe, who claims he later found her unresponsive on the floor of his room.

Homicide detectives also learned Lowe tried to resuscitate the woman with no success before loading her body into his vehicle. Lowe reportedly left the woman’s body in his vehicle, went to work, then came home and drove the woman’s body to the location where it was found. He also reportedly threw away some of her personal belongings in his trash can.

Detectives and investigators with the coroner’s office examined the woman’s body, which reportedly did not show any signs of physical trauma. An autopsy will be performed at a later date.

Lowe was arrested and questioned. He reportedly told investigators that on Jan. 8, the woman was dropped off at his home around 5 p.m. by an unknown man. He said he entered his room and found the woman lying on his bed while a bag of syringes, a spoon, and an unknown drug were on his dresser. Lowe claims he and the woman had consensual sex, and he then went to sleep.

Lowe went on to say he woke up around 3 a.m. and found the woman on the floor. He says she had no heartbeat and was not breathing. Lowe claims he put her back on his bed and tried to perform chest compressions. After being unable to revive her, Lowe says her put her body in the back of his vehicle on the floor. After returning from work the following day, Lowe says he rode around Baton Rouge trying to find the best place to dispose of the woman’s body.

Lowe is charged with unlawful disposal of remains, failure to notify of death under suspicious circumstances, and obstruction of justice. Charges may be upgraded upon completion of the autopsy.

Bond was set at $80,000, which was paid Saturday, Jan. 12 and Lowe was released.